Galin Dragiev has his finger on the pulse of the Rockets and Warriors and made a pick for Game 2

by
CBS Sports Staff

May 16, 2018
• 1 min read

In a highly anticipated series between NBA heavyweights, the Golden State Warriors landed the first blow with a road victory against the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Houston looks to bounce back and avoid a perilous two-game deficit in the NBA playoffs when it hosts Golden State in Game 2 on Wednesday (9 p.m. ET).

The Rockets are again 1.5-point sportsbook favorites, with the over-under for total points scored set at 224.5.

For the best analysis on this matchup, listen to SportsLine expert Galin Dragiev. The accomplished handicapper produced SportsLine's top regular-season record and has remained strong in the 2018 NBA playoffs.

Dragiev boasts an 11-5 record in picks against the spread involving Golden State or Houston. In Game 1, he accurately predicted that a big game from James Harden would be offset by the Rockets' inability to stop Kevin Durant on the defensive end. The result: Durant had 37 points in the Warriors' 119-106 victory, and those who followed Dragiev's play on the short underdog were rewarded.

Now, the attention shifts to Game 2 and the question remains whether Houston will have any answer for Durant and his hot-shooting teammates Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. The trio combined for 83 points in Game 1, with several of Thompson's six 3-pointers deflating late Houston rallies.

The Warriors shot 52.5 percent from the field while generating 24 assists on 42 field goals. Houston was held to 46 percent shooting and committed 13 turnovers compared to nine for Golden State.

Harden had 41 points and seven assists, while Chris Paul posted 23 points and 11 rebounds. But the Rockets were hurt by meager contributions from their role players, as starting forwards Trevor Ariza and P.J. Tucker combined for nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.